Council Tax increases fail to curb care cuts

Council Tax increases fail to curb care cuts

Posted on: July 13th, 2016

The BBC has reported (BBC News 13 July 2016) that increases in council tax will not materialise to prevent cuts to care provision for older and disabled adults. The Association of the Directors of Adult Social Services has suggested that a further reduction in services is inevitable, with staff wages barely being covered through funding.

Although Adult Social Care is means tested it arguably deserves the same protection as NHS services as the former does much to keep vulnerable adults from using the NHS for support that is better provided in a community rather than clinical setting.

The provision of Adult Social Care is likely to be further tested if Brexit results in a reduction of freedom of movement. A large number of care providers currently recruiting staff from overseas.

It is troubling to consider the implications of further cuts to Adult Social Care. We often see vulnerable adults being offered only the briefest of infrequent visits in their care package and work hard to secure better provision for them. It is likely that this will become more challenging in the future.

Annabelle Vaughan is a Partner and head of Coffin Mew’s Court of Protection team who work with people who lack capacity, their families and professional teams to ensure that their finances and welfare are protected.